The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for assembly of a harness of wires and connectors, and more particularly concerns machine insertion of terminal pins on one or both ends of a wire into one or more multiple pin connectors and routing the wire between the connectors in a desired path.
Electrical wire harnesses embody a number of wires, each having a terminal pin affixed to one or both of its ends. The wires are connected to and between different pairs of multiple pin connectors. Optical fibers, carrying optical signals, and having much greater information carrying capacity, are replacing electrical conductors. Such optical conductors are assembled and connected in arrangements similar to those employed for electrical conductors. Accordingly, the term "wire", as used throughout the description and claims, shall denote either electrical or optical energy conductors.
Many machines devised for automatic assembly of wire harnesses use devices for gripping a wire terminal pin, in a manner similar to manual pin insertion methods, and for moving the pin into the connector while it is so held. Such devices fail to protect the terminal pin during handling, are capable of handling only one end of the wire at a time and must be released from and caused to regrasp the other end of the wire for completion of connection of a single wire that has a pin at both ends.
Many multiple pin connectors have an exceedingly high density of connector apertures, each of which receives a thin delicate terminal pin. A single connector may have as many as 100 or more wires connected to it. After many of the wires have been connected to the connector, the next terminal pin to be inserted must be forced between closely packed wires that have been previously connected. Further, the pin is easily damaged if not precisely registered with the connector aperture. Thus, some means to protect the long slender pin during the insertion process is required.
The Brandewie et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,659, describes an attempt to handle assembly of wires with multiple pin connectors by employing a wire guide tunnel positioned at the connector. A wire is laterally delivered to the tunnel, and both the wire and terminal pin are driven through the tunnel into the connector. The patent to Brandewie et al, with its guide tunnel fixedly positioned relative to the connector, requires ejector arms to displace previously connected wires. This apparatus is capable of handling only one end of a wire at one time. It grasps the wire, but not the pin, and thus cannot maneuver the pin conveniently and accurately. An entirely new machine set up must be accomplished for connection of the second ends of the terminal fitted wires. Moreover, the connector in the system of this patented device is moved to be positioned with respect to a fixed wire and terminal feed path. This movement of the connector requires movement of the entire bundle of previously connected wires.
No provision is made in prior art for possible misalignment of the connector aperture with the wire feed path, nor for possible misalignment of apertures of the resilient connector grommet with the connector apertures or with the wire feed path. A multiple pin connector frequently has a resilient wire receiving grommet having a number of apertures, each of which is nominally aligned with an individual one of the terminal receiving apertures of the connector. In the course of insertion of many wires through the grommet into the connector apertures, the grommet may become displaced or distorted so that its remaining apertures are no longer in registry with the connector apertures. The long, slender and delicate terminal pin cannot correct such misalignment during insertion and is likely to be bent upon attempted insertion through a misaligned grommet aperture.
Despite the fact that many harnesses have connectors attached to both ends of the wires, systems for accomplishing machine controlled routing of a wire and protected insertion of both wire ends in connectors are not known in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal insertion system that avoids or minimizes above-mentioned limitations.